ON DISPLAY

Firefighting on Parade

Elegance and Pride on Display

Parades were a popular form of public entertainment and, beginning with the July 4th celebration of 1824, volunteer firemen’s anticipation became particularly prominent. Each volunteer fire company took great pride in the festive appearance of its banners, machines and uniforms. This exhibit features four apparatus in parade formation and the beautifully decked out Steinway hose carriage. The elegant machines are surrounded by celebratory artifacts, including a Brooklyn volunteer fire department banner, paintings on wood panels that once adorned pumpers, decorative plaques used to embellish apparatus on parade, lanterns and torches that lit up parades, and ribbons, festive belts, hats and helmets worn by the marchers.

Veteran Pumper

This double decker hand pulled pumper was originally built for a Philadelphia engine company. It was purchased and redecorated for the Veteran Firemen’s Association of New York City to be used as a parade apparatus.

Parade Ribbons

These intricately decorated ribbons were given to firefighters when they participated in special events, such as parades, musters, or conventions. The ribbons were typically worn during the event and then proudly displayed afterwards as a souvenir.

Steinway Hose Carriage

This hose carriage was used by the volunteer firemen of Steinway Hose Company 7, in an area now part of Astoria, Queens. The apparatus plates, plumes of feathers, and ornate lanterns elegantly outfit this apparatus for a parade.

Phoenix 4

This piano style hand pumper, so called because the body was thought to resemble a piano, is pictured in parade formation with other lavishly decorated hand drawn apparatus.

Parade Hats

For parades, firemen dressed in special attire with their apparatus. Their costume included hats – often with the names of the fire companies and special insignia painted on the front of theit stovepipe style leather hats.

Parade Belts

Belts were another special part of parade attire and were decorated with the name of the fire company. Other elements of a parade costume might include a cape, torch, or ceremonial speaking trumpet.

Apparatus Plates

Parades were special occasions and fire companies often tried to outdo others in terms of personal dress and apparatus decorations. These plates adorned the sides of apparatus and identified a company’s “masheen”.

EXHIBITIONS ON DISPLAY